Happiest Place on Earth
by Axelrocks
Summary: He was an idiot. This was a stupid idea, bound to get them killed. But he was in love and love, sometimes, made you want to do stupid things. Like go to Disney World. In the middle of the apocalypse. AU of Season 2
1. Chapter 1

He was an idiot.

This was a stupid idea, bound to get them killed.

But he was in love and love, sometimes, made you want to do stupid things.

Like go to Disney World. In the middle of the apocalypse.

* * *

It all started because of a coloring book.

Daryl had grabbed it, almost as an afterthought and only because of the sparkly castle on the cover and the included stickers within its pages. Sophia would love it. Or, he hoped she would.

Glenn gave him an odd look before smirking, and opened his mouth to say something supposedly funny, but Daryl shot him a deadly glare that shut him up quick. He brushed past him and stuffed the coloring book into his pack. Crayons were the next thing needed and Daryl grabbed enough to entertain an army.

"Hobby?" Glenn asked, unable to keep his mouth shut for long on the drive back to the farm. "Or are you just that bored?"

"They're for Sophia," he mumbled, fingers tapping on the steering wheel.

"Oh."

Glenn was one of the most innovative of the group, was quick on his feet and quick with the plans, but for some reason the fact that they had a twelve year old girl back at camp seemed to have slipped his mind. Who else would Daryl have gotten a princess coloring book for?

"You should have grabbed Carl one of the superhero ones. Think they had an Iron Man one. More of a Captain America man, myself. I wi-"

"Carl's a little shit," Daryl cut Glenn off before he started a lengthy conversation on which superhero was better. "Probably would have started throwing crayons at the walkers just cuz he got bored."

The younger man didn't say anything, his silence letting Daryl know he agreed with him. Carl was a little shit. Lori struggled to keep him in line, and with the death of Shane (by Rick), he pretty much ignored everything Rick told him.

"Probably," Glenn muttered. "But, hey, it's nice that you got something for Sophia."

"Saved her life. Might as well make sure she's entertained, too."

If Daryl hadn't been so near that day on the highway, Sophia would have been lost in those woods. He had stuck close to the women (Carol) all because a feeling he had in his gut.

His gut had been right.

A herd plowed through the cars. Everyone dove under the vehicles and out of sight, but Sophia had been so scared and wanted her mother so badly that she hadn't looked before scooting her small body from underneath a car.

Walkers had spotted Sophia and Daryl had spotted the walkers.

The moment her little blonde head disappeared into the woods, Daryl was leaping over the guardrail and Carol was screaming at him to bring back her baby.

And he did.

With his crossbow, he had made short work of the two walkers following the girl. Sophia had been quick, though. After pulling out the bolt from the second walker, Daryl had looked around the trees to find her gone.

Cursing, he searched around for her footprints. It took a little bit, but he finally found her small prints. They led him to a river, the mud leading into the water told him that she had waded in. He cursed when he realized that he could have possibly lost her tracks, especially if she hadn't gotten out right at the other side.

He was about to wade through the water, when he heard a noise. Whipping around, he lifted his bow.

"Daryl?"

The small, little girl voice was coming from an overhanging tree on the edge of the bank. Through the branches and leaves, a blonde head poked out and Sophia stood there, doll in hand and trembling.

Daryl had expected the girl to smile at being saved. What he didn't expect for her to fly at him and wrap her skinny little arms around his waist. "Thank you," she said, voice muffled with sobs and his shirt. "For saving me."

A little uncomfortable at the gesture, he patted her shoulder. "Uh, welcome." He stepped back. "Now, let's get you back to your mama."

Carol climbed over the railing at the sight of her daughter and Daryl stepped back, allowing the pair to reunite without hovering near. The woman, finally let go of her daughter and looked up at him. "Thank you," she repeated the words Sophia had said earlier. "Thank you so much, for finding her." (For a brief moment, Daryl wished she had given him a hug, as well).

Once things were settled on the highway, night watch was established and the group slept in various cars. The next morning, Rick had wanted to take a walk with Carl in the woods. Probably for some father-son time, Daryl didn't know. However, when Shane joined without a word, the purpose of the trip was lost.

Daryl should have listened to his gut this time, too.

A gunshot echoed through the trees some time later. Everyone was worried, Lori especially, yet no one went to investigate. Daryl itched to, but did not want to leave the rest of the group unguarded.

An hour went by before a stranger burst through the tree line on a horse. A woman with a baseball cap and strong southern accent. "Lori?" She called to the line of faces now looking down at her. "Lori Grimes?"

The woman stepped forward. "That's me."

"Your son, Carl, has been shot. My daddy is taking care of him, now, but you need to come with me."

Lori didn't hesitate.

After that, things went fast. The woman told them where to find their farm and Dale led the way with his RV. The man fixing up Carl was Hershel Greene. He had been a vet before the Turn, but in the end he had been able to save Carl's life.

There were many ups and downs during those first few weeks. Glenn had found love in the stranger on the horse, Maggie Greene. Hershel's eldest daughter. Then, they found out there were walkers in the barn.

Everything had moved so quickly and strongly within those weeks. It was a miracle the group had lasted that long. Especially with the tension between Rick and Shane. Then, they had found Randall in their search for Hershel, who had run off after the slaughter of his walking dead family in the barn. This had been the final straw in their relationship.

Dale died.

Shane took Randall and killed him. Then, had tried to do the same with Rick and was killed.

A herd threatened to tear the Greene farm apart.

Fortunately, it had been spotted earlier and everyone was ushered into the Greene's shelter under the house. If the walkers didn't see any potential food, there was a chance they would keep on walking. The group's camp would be torn apart, but at least they would be safe.

They stayed in the cellar for a full day. It had been cramped and they were all practically on top of one another, but no dared to voice a complaint. Without this place, they would have all been on the run...or dead.

"All clear," Rick had been the one to leave and check the surroundings.

The herd had done considerable damage to the land, but the house was still intact and the RV still standing.

"We'll just have rebuild," Hershel said, surveying his land.

That had all been months ago.

The farm had been made safer with fences surrounding the area. Runs had returned with guns, one for everyone, and ammo to last them for awhile. With not having to feed the walkers in the barn, the chickens were used for human consumption. Hershel, also, had a few dairy cows, so milk was also supplied.

There hadn't been enough room in the house for everyone to stay, so on another run, T-Dog had come driving up in another RV, broad smile on his face. "Now, I don't have to sleep on the hard ground."

Carol, Sophia and Andrea had taken Dale's RV, which had been moved closer to the house. With the addition to the new RV, T-Dog now had a place to stay and so did Daryl, who was a little reluctant to share his space with someone else. Everyone else had a room in the house. Jimmy had even offered to share his room with Carl, which had excited the younger boy.

Things had been good since the herd.

The number of walkers spotted on the land only amounted to be a handful, and runs to nearby towns had been fruitful.

During that time, Daryl had also gotten close to Carol and Sophia. The young girl had stuck by him ever since he had saved her life and Carol wasn't far. She was really the only one, besides Rick on occasion and T-Dog, that Daryl didn't mind talking with.

She had been his first real friend.

Now, he wanted her to be something more.

"Do you ever wonder how things would have turned out if Sophia hadn't been found?"

Daryl had almost forgotten that he was in the truck with Glenn, until he asked that question. This had been a question that Daryl thought about often, as well. What would have happened if Sophia had not been found, if someone else had gotten after her in the woods.

"No," he growled, lying. "Why worry about shit that ain't goin' to happen now?"

Glenn was unfazed by his rough tone, like most times. "I wonder about it all the time. Not just about Sophia, but about other things. What if their had been no herd on the road that day? What if Carl hadn't gotten shot?"

"None of that and there would have been no farm," Daryl answered.

"And no Maggie," Glenn almost whispered. "If I tell you that I'm glad Carl was shot, will you tell Rick or Lori?"

"No."

"Well, I am. Maggie is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I couldn't imagine just driving by her farm without ever knowing her."

Daryl didn't say anything. It was getting a little too mushy for his liking.

When Glenn noticed he was losing his audience, he asked a different question. "What about you and Carol?"

"What about us?" Daryl didn't mean for those words to come out so harsh.

"You've been spending a lot of time together."

"And? She asked me to teach her how to use weapons."

"She must be some warrior goddess by now, with all the time you've spent in each other's company." Glenn smirked, goading him a little.

"Shut up," he mumbled, unable to think of anything else to say.

Glenn settled in his seat, a smug grin on his face. "You know, if you need help making a move, just let me know."

"What? You some Don Juan now that you got the farmer's daughter?" He tightened his grip in the steering wheel. "And no thanks. We ain't like that, anyway."

"Uh huh. Whatever you say."

Before he could reply, the gravel road leading to the farm came into view. If Daryl pushed harder on the gas pedal, Glenn didn't say a word. They didn't mind going on runs, but were always eager to make it back to the farm, back to the people they loved.

Sophia ran up to him several minutes later as he was unpacking the supplies he had gathered. Carol wasn't far behind, a smile on her face letting him know she was glad he was back safe. It felt good to have someone care if he made it back or not.

"Got something for you, Soph," he said to little girl.

"Really?" Sophia bounced on her toes, excited. Rick always tried to bring something back for Carl whenever he went out. Since Carol hadn't gone on a run, yet, she hadn't been able to get her daughter anything.

"Yep. Hope you like it." He reached in his pack and took out the coloring book and crayons. "Here." He handed them to her and watched her reaction.

Sophia took one look at the cover of the book...and burst into tears.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Daryl panicked.

What the hell did he do? He glanced at Carol, hoping she would let him know what he did, but she was at her daughter's side, asking what was wrong and brushing tears from Sophia's cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he finally managed to choke out. "I can take it back and get you a new one." He reached for the book, hoping to take the offending thing away, but Sophia clutched it harder.

"No, Daryl," she said between sobs. "I love it."

This confused him. There were tears involved. Didn't that mean she was sad?

"It's a Disney coloring book," Carol said and stood.

This didn't help with his confusion. "Yeah?"

"She _loves_ Disney. Always has."

"And this is Cinderella's castle," Sophia cried and showed him the cover. "My favorite." She ran her fingers over the picture, lovingly.

"Every Halloween, she had to be Cinderella," Carol said a little wistfully. "Missing glass slipper and all. Well, plastic, if you wanted to be specific."

"Mom, can I go start coloring in Mr. Greene's house?" And just like that, it was if Sophia hadn't just burst into tears and scared Daryl half to death.

"Of course, honey. I'll be along shortly, once I'm done helping Daryl bring in the supplies."

"You ain't gotta he-"

"Okay!" Sophia ran from the two and up the porch steps into the house. Carol watched her go, smile still in place before turning back to Daryl.

"Thank you," she said. "That means a lot to her. And to me."

Daryl felt his ears heat up. "S'nothing," he mumbled. "Just saw all the sparkles and thought she'd like it." He turned to grab some things from the bed of the truck just so he wouldn't have to look at Carol with his flaming face.

Carol joined his side and grabbed some of the bags. "It's everything, Daryl. Her dream was to go to Disney World, someday. She had pictures of that castle all over her room, and any chance I could, I bought her anything Cinderella. It always had to be in secret, though."

Daryl clenched his fists, thinking about Ed and all the things he had done to this wonderful woman in front of him.

"The year before the Turn, she started to save up all the money she'd get from relatives for her birthday. Told me that she was saving up to go to Disney World, just me and her." Carol's smile turned watery. "I started saving what little money I could, thinking I'd be able to take my daughter there someday. I didn't even care about the consequences when I'd get back."

They were silent for a moment.

"When's her birthday?" Daryl croaked out at last.

"May 10th."

"It's close, then." The weather had just started to get warmer so he figured it had to be the beginning of April.

"Yeah. I just wish we could celebrate. She'll be turning thirteen. A teenager. Where has the time gone?" Daryl was only half-listening (a fact he'd feel bad about later) as his mind started whirring a hundred miles an hour.

All because of a damn coloring book an idea started to form.

A stupid idea.

An idea only a man in love would attempt to do.

* * *

It wasn't hard to keep the plan to himself. He was never really much of a talker and the one person he'd even think about telling was one of the people he _didn't_ want to know yet. Especially if things didn't come together like he hoped.

On a run a few days later with a small group, Daryl had been able to separate from the group for a little bit and walked into the travel agency in the town they were scavenging from. (It was one of the reasons why he had asked to switch places with Andrea for this run).

He hoped no one had seen him slipped into the place. There would be nothing useful he could have grabbed from the it. They already had several maps back at the farm. However, they didn't have a map of Florida.

Daryl found a few and stuffed them in his pack, along with a few brochures with that same damn castle Sophia loved so much.

Just as quickly as Daryl busted into the place, he walked out and went quickly to the sporting goods store next door. He'd finally a few useful things inside and no one would know where he had been first.

That night, while T-Dog snored away in the back room of their RV, Daryl took out one of the maps and studied it. A notebook sat to his right, waiting to be filled with notes. Much wasn't written down for awhile, since every few minutes Daryl would pause to make sure T-Dog was still sleeping.

He missed his tent. But the winter had been cold and it had been much warmer inside the RV. However, warmer weather was coming. Maybe he could take out that old tent and have his own space again. It would be easier to plan out his secret, then.

Looking through the brochure and map, Daryl found that Orlando was only about six and a half hours from Atlanta. Before the Turn, that would have been nothing to drive in a day. Now, it could take days, especially if Orlando's roads were anything like Atlanta's.

Undeterred, though, Daryl mapped out ways to get there and jotted down notes until the sun creeped over the horizon. He doused the lamp when he heard T-Dog stir and quickly stashed everything in his pack and stood.

T-Dog appeared in the small doorway and stretched. "Going hunting, already?" He yawned. "Man, it seems you go earlier and earlier."

Jumping on that perfect excuse, Daryl reached for his bow. "Uh, yeah. Going to try to snag a deer. We've been getting soft with chicken."

"Says you," T-Dog muttered.

* * *

It was midmorning when Daryl returend to camp empty-handed. He had spotted one deer while out but it had been with it's baby and had decided to leave it alone. Now, he just wanted to escape to his RV and catch a few hours of sleep.

When he spotted his RV, he saw Carol hovering near the door, a plate of something in her hands. Daryl's steps quickened a little, eager to see the woman. Getting some sleep briefly left his mind.

"Morning," she greeted with a bright smile. "I brought you some breakfast."

"Thanks," he said and took the plate from her. "Starving. You cook?"

"Taste it and see," she winked.

He did and it was delicious. "You did."

"Nope. Lori did."

Daryl nearly spit out his mouthful and glared when he heard Carol laughing.

"I'm just teasing you, Daryl. I cooked and Sophia helped. We try to keep Lori far away from the stove at all times."

"Smart idea. Woman can't cook for shit." He made quick work of his breakfast and handed Carol the empty plate when she reached up a hand for it. Instead of heading into his RV, he decided to follow her back to the house.

"So, uh, what are your plans for the day?"

"Well, um..." Carol bit her lip and looked up at him as they walked. "Actually, I was coming down to ask if we could go find something for Sophia. For her birthday."

"Just tell me what she'd like and I can get it."

Carol stopped walking and so did he. "I know you can, but I...kind of wanted to do it myself."

"All right. We can go today, if you want."

The way Carol's shoulders relaxed and a relieved breath escaped from her mouth, Daryl could tell that she had been expected a fight. But Daryl knew that she was ready to go out on a run. He had been the one to train her, after all.

"Great! I'll just finish with breakfast cleanup and then, we can go."

Daryl watched as Carol practically ran back to the house. His mouth curled in a smile, knowing that it was because of him she was so excited.

As he continued to watch Carol rush up to the house, Rick entered his field of sight. Daryl knew it was now or never to tell Rick about his plan. Especially if he wanted to bring it up with Carol soon.

This was not going to be a easy talk.

* * *

"Rick!" He walked quickly to catch up with the man. "Got a minute?"

The other man stopped. "Sure. Was just going to check the fences, see if we got any stragglers." That's all they seemed to get on the farm these days and the fences they had built around the property had kept them away from the group.

"I'll go with. I can kill walkers and talk to you." Maybe killing a few walkers would distract Rick from what Daryl was going to tell him.

When they got the fences, which were chainlink fences taller than them, they found only two walkers. Ending them was quick work and Rick turned to Daryl expectantly.

"Uh, I gotta ask you something. Nah, I mean, I gotta tell you something because this is something I ain't askin' permission for."

That grabbed Rick's attention. "...Okay?"

"In a few days, Carol, Sophia and I are going to be gone for a bit."

"Why?"

"The girl's birthday is coming up and I want to take her to this place she's been wanting to go to for a long time."

 _Please don't ask_. Daryl knew he would, though.

"And where's that?"

 _Fuck!_ "Uh...Disney World."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Disney World?"

Just as Daryl knew he would, Rick looked at him as if he were crazy. It _was_ a crazy plan, after all. But he wasn't going to back down. That little girl was going to see the place for herself, dammit!

"Yeah," he replied. "Disney World. Carol told me Sophia's wanted to go for a long time."

"And you want to go _now?_ Daryl, you know there isn't going to be anything there. The rides aren't going to work, people aren't going to be dressed up and for all we know, it's swarming with walkers."

Daryl had thought of all those things, but he knew that it wouldn't matter to Sophia. As long as she got to see that damn castle in person, she'd be happy. "I know."

"It's going to be dangerous. The trip up there alone..."

"I know. If things get too dangerous, though, I ain't going to hesitate. I'll bring them right back." There was no way he would risk Carol and Sophia's lives.

Rick was slient for a moment, hand rubbing his temple. "All right," he said slowly. "You can go."

"I wasn't asking permission."

"Right." One side of Rick's mouth curled up. "When do you plan on leaving?"

"I haven't told Carol about it, yet. Will today, though. Probably won't leave for another week or two. I'll gather my own supplies instead of taking from the stores."

"You don't need to do that." The pair started to walk back to the house. "Most of the stuff we have in there is because you got it for us."

Daryl shrugged. "I can just get more. Ain't no big deal. Carol and I are going out in a little while. We'll get stuff, then."

"Sounds good." A few months before, Rick would have protested against taking Carol on a run, but the woman had shown how capable she had become under Daryl's tutelage.

Up ahead, Daryl could see Carol sitting on the porch swing. She was using her foot to gently push herself back and forth. When she turned her head and their eyes met, Daryl couldn't help but smile. A real, genuine smile.

By his side, Rick turned to speak, saw the smile and then, saw who Daryl was smiling at. A knowing smile flashed across his face briefly before he told Daryl he'd see him later and went off to find Lori.

"Ready?" He asked, walking up to the porch.

Carol stood and slipped a bag over her head. On one side of her hip was a gone and on the other, a knife. "Yes." She bounded down the steps, clearly excited. "Sophia is with Lori and Carl doing a little schooling."

Daryl made a face. "Doesn't sound like much fun. Especially with Lori as a teacher."

"Stop." Carol elbowed him with a little laugh.

Ever since the quarry, Daryl had never really liked Lori and it was obvious that the woman felt the same toward him. Things had gotten better since the months on the farm and they tolerated one another. Lori no longer thought he was a lowlife and Daryl didn't think she was an uppity bitch (well, most of the time).

Daryl slid behind the wheel of the truck and watched Carol settle into her own seat. "So any ideas on what you want to get her?"

Carol's face flushed a little in embarrassment. "Honestly, no. Before everything. I'd get her small things. Things Ed wouldn't notice. Now, all the things she'd want are useless, like a computer or one of those hand-held gaming systems."

She paused for a moment. "She did like to read, though. So, maybe a bookstore?"

Daryl nodded and drummed the steering wheel with his fingers. "Hm, okay. I know where one's at. Ain't goin' to be that big so I don't know what you'll find there."

"I'm sure we'll find something."

"All right, here we go, then."

Daryl nearly jumped through the roof of the vehicle when Carol reached over and squeezed one of his wrists. "Thank you for taking me with, Daryl. It means a lot to me."

"Ain't nothin," he mumbled. "It's about time you were allowed to get away for a bit."

"Yeah, it is." She took her hand back and folded both in her lap.

Daryl hoped she was willing to leave the farm for more than just a few hours. He was hoping that she would be okay with leaving for a few days. While this trip was for Sophia, Daryl was looking to all the time he'd get to spend with Carol if they went.

Maybe he'd actually get the balls to tell her how he felt.

* * *

It was a twenty minute drive to get to their destination (and Daryl wished it was longer). Carol, over the past few months, had shed her shy demeanor and now, wasn't afraid to tease him whenever possible. Daryl didn't mind, of course, and could sometimes get a few jabs back if his mind worked quick enough.

The bookstore was a standalone building near the edge of the town they had just driven through. Near the back of the buidling, there were woods. Daryl felt a little uneasy about being so near to one since anything could be lurking within the trees.

"I'll check the inside, first," he said, reaching for his crossbow in the back. "Stay here."

"I can help," she protested.

"I know you can. But still stay here."

Carol didn't like that, she crossed her arms and glared out her window. But she stayed put. Daryl told himself that he would have to make it up to her sometime. She had trained for things like this and he had just denied her an opportunity to test her skills.

"Shouldn't be long," he mumbled and closed the door as quietly as he could.

"Be safe!" Carol had rolled down the window and called to him, a slight smile on her face and worry in her eyes.

"I will."

Going up to the store front, he checked through the windows to see if he could see any walkers milling around. There were none in the front, but tall bookshelves obscured his view of the back of the store. When he tried the door, he was surprised it wasn't locked. Though, who cared about books when the world was ending and things started to hunger for flesh?

He quietly moved through the store and wasn't surprised to find no walkers. Books weren't good for survival, unless one needed kindling for a fire. That wasn't saying Daryl hated books. He didn't. When he was young, he'd sometimes sneak off to the local library and hide among the shelves. The librarians had no problem with him, being all kind older ladies, and he often stayed until the place closed.

Once he saw that everything was clear and safe, he went to the door and waved Carol in. She was out of the truck and jogging to him in seconds, cleary eager to be by his side...or get into the building.

"Kids stuff is in the back," he said and pointed in the direction of a few bookshelves. "Think I'm goin' to look through some of the other shelves for anything useful." Maybe he could find books that would help back at the farm.

"Okay." She seemed a little disappointed that Daryl would not be joining her, but this was for her daughter. She didn't need him to hover.

On his way to the non-fiction side of the store, he past a shelf full of maps and guides. One guide stuck out to him. _The Complete Guide Walt Disney World._ Without thinking about it much, Daryl grabbed it. The cover said it would be full of pictures, but he didn't flip the book open. He'd save it for later.

Twenty minutes passed and Daryl had a good pile of books by his feet. However, most were ones that _he_ wanted to read.

"Still shopping, I see."

The voice caused Daryl to drop the book he had been reading the inside of and he turned to see Carol standing there, basket full of books at her feet and a smug smile on her face. "Never thought I'd be able to sneak up on you."

"Never thought you could," he grumbled and picked up the dropped book. "You done?"

"Yeah. I found a bunch of Disney books for Sophia and grabbed a few books from the Young Adult section that she might like." There had be to be over twenty-five books in Carol's basket, meaning she had probably dragged the thing with her. How had he not heard that?

"Sounds good. 'm almost done here. We can leave in a few minutes."

Carol waved him off. "No, keep looking. I'll put these in the truck and I plan on finding some reading material for myself. It can get pretty boring on the farm if there's nothing to do." She picked up the basket with a little struggle. Daryl quickly reached for it before she toppled over.

"I got it," he said. "You go start lookin'."

"Thanks." She smiled and wandered to another area of the store.

An hour later and four basketful of books, they were finally done in the bookstore. Many people back on the farm would be glad for the little distractions a book would give them. Though, some days, there were a lot of things to do on the farm there were days when there was nothing.

"There's one more place I'd like to go," Carol spoke when they climbed into the truck. "If you don't mind."

Honestly, any chance to spend more time alone with Carol was more than okay with Daryl. "Sure. Where?"

"There."

Carol pointed past his head at a small building across the street from them. There was a coffee cup etched in the dirty glass.

"It's a cafe," she said. "I thought that maybe could find coffee and sugar in there. Maybe even powdered creamer if we're lucky. I know they're not essentials."

"But everyone at camp will love us for it." Coffee was scarce since no one saw it as a priority to to get on runs. More than one person at the farm had expressed their desire to have at least one cup in the mornings. "We'll be a heros."

"And of course, we'll hoard all the good stuff for ourselves," she winked and Daryl wasn't sure if she was being serious or not. He definately didn't mind keeping some of the good stuff for himself.

"I like how your mind works." He started the truck and drove the hundred feet across the road to the cafe.

"Is that the _only_ thing you like?"

Her words made him freeze in place. He was afraid to look at her for fear that she would see everything in his eyes. So, he took a deep breath and decided to go with a tease. "No. I like your cooking." Then, he was out of the truck to scout the inside of the building.

Carol had given him to the perfect opportunity to let her know how he felt...and of course, he had ruined it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

The inside of the coffee shop was much like the bookstore. No walkers or bodies in sight. In fact, the place looked fully intact with the exception of a layer of dust on everything. Obviously, no one had thought coffee as an essential to survive.

Well, their loss.

Carol was at the glass window before Daryl could move outside to wave her in. Impatient, she was, and probably a little irritated that he had left her to stay in the truck again. She walked through the door and took a look around.

"Place has been untouched, huh?"

"Yep." Daryl walked past a glass case that once held pastries. "You hungry?" He pressed a finger against the glass and smirked. Carol made her way over and made a face.

"Disgusting." Everything inside were piles of green, moldy masses.

"Good thing coffee doesn't expire."

Daryl looked past Carol's head to the back wall behind the cash register. There were bags and bags of ground coffee. Different flavors, too. Daryl's mouth watered just thinking about having a cup of freshly brewed coffee. It had been a while.

"Everyone is going to _love_ us," Carol said, staring at the wall of coffee, eyes wide.

After an hour, they had cleared most of the store of coffee, powdered coffee and creamer. They even took a few of the coffee pots found in the back. The bed of the truck was full. So much for just getting a gift for Sophia.

"There's enough that everyone can have their own stash," Carol exclaimed after counting each bag. "And it'll last us months." Just think," she turned excited blue eyes on him. "We can have coffee _every_ morning for _months_."

"Yeah."

In the old world, having coffee every morning was something taken for granted. Now, every morning would be like Christmas morning.

"Ready to go?" Carol asked, after they had stood there staring at their loot for a few minutes.

 _It was now or never._

"Actually, no. I-I, uh, wanted to talk to you about somethin'."

"Okay." She cocked her head slightly, brows furrowed. "What is it?"

"Could we talk inside?" Being out in the open made him feel vulnerable. At least, they would be somewhat safe in the cafe.

"Sure." There was a hint of a smile on her face. "I'll go pick a table."

"Uh, great. Be there in a minute."

Carol left and Daryl hopped up on the back of his truck to rummage through the crates of books. It took him awhile but he finally found what he was looking for. Glancing behind him, he saw that Carol had found a table and waved at him through the glass when she saw him looking.

He didn't know why he was so nervous. If Carol said no to the trip, that was it. In fact, it would be reasonable of her to say no. It wasn't like she was rejecting _him_.

Walking into the building, he kept the book pressed to his side so that the title would not be visible. He gave Carol an awkward smile as he sat in the chair across from her. "Uh, hey."

"Hey, stranger," she teased.

Now, how to start this conversation. He supposed he could just get on it with.

"Got somethin' for Sophia. For her birthday."

"Oh?"

He placed the book on the table between them. Carol read the title and looked up at him, slightly confused. " _The Complete Guide to Disney World_?" She slid the book closer and opened it. "She'll love the pictures. Thank you, Daryl."

"The book ain't it," his voice trembled a little. "Was thinkin' that we could go."

"Go where?" She closed the book. "Go back to the farm? Okay."

"No." He placed a hand on hers, telling her to stop, before quickly taking back. "Was talkin' about taking her there." He pointed to the cover of the book. The picture of Cinderella's castle.

"Disney World?"

"Uh, yeah. I know it ain't like it is in the book anymore but I thought she'd...like to see it." He peeked up at her, gauging her reaction and quickly looked away, feeling even more nervous. "She could see that damn castle for herself...if'n you want to go."

Carol grew silent and Daryl's heart pounded in his ears.

"Just us?" Her voice was so soft Daryl almost hadn't heard it.

"Yeah. You, me and Sophia. If that's okay. We can have others come. Carl-" he winced at mentioning the boy. He didn't want that kid to come along, but if it made Carol say yes, he would. "He and his parents could come."

"No. I wouldn't mind. If it was just us. But, if you want Rick t-"

"No," he almost yelled. "N-No," he tried again. This time much quieter. "It can just be the three of us. I can keep us safe. Promise."

"I'll help, too, of course," she said with determination. "I'm not useless anymore."

"You was never useless, Carol." He took a deep breath. "So, is that a yes?"

"Yes." She chewed on her lip and looked a little uncertain. "But if things get bad..."

"We'll head right back. Swear. I don't want to put you and Sophia in danger. Not ever."

Carol reached across the table and gripped one of his hands in hers. "I trust you, Daryl. More than I've trusted anyone else. I know you'll keep us safe."

The feel of her hand in his made him speechless and he could only manage a nod. No one had ever put that much faith and trust in him before. It felt good.

"So, when did you want to leave?"

"Closer to her birthday. Maybe? It might take us a few days to get up there cuz of the roads." Now, he could talk about this stuff. The technical stuff. "I need to scavenge for supplies. Don't want to take any of the group's supply, even though Rick said I could."

"I hope you plan on taking me along on these runs," Carol said with absolute seriousness.

He smiled. "Course."

* * *

They decided they would not tell Sophia about the trip and their destination until they were almost there. "Just in case we have to turn back and never make it," Carol said on the way home from the bookstore. "That way we can just act as if it was a little vacation off the farm and not a trip to Disney World."

"Smart idea."

Carol had many of those, he found.

"Maybe while out on the runs, we can find a truck."

"We have this one." It was a good truck. Capable of getting them to Orlando and back.

"I know," she said. "But I was thinking we could get a truck that has one of those big covers on the bed. Ones where you can almost stand in..." She looked uncertain. "I don't know what they're called, though."

"Know what you're talkin' about." He'd seen a few on the road. "What's so good about 'em?"

"Well, I was thinking if we had one of those, we could all sleep in the bed of the truck and not have to worry about setting up a tent and keeping watch." She looked up at him, gnawing on her lip once more. "Not a good idea?"

It was a damn good idea. Switching off on watches every night would leave them tired and ragged during the trip. Having one of those covers would keep them safe from walkers. People were a different story, but Daryl was a light sleeper and would keep a gun by his head. Just in case.

"Nah. It's good. I'll keep an eye out for one of those."

* * *

When they returned to the farm, Rick was swinging on the porch with Lori by his side. It wasn't often when Daryl saw Rick sit down and enjoy the scenery. Especially with his wife. Things were still a little rocky between them.

"You need help?" The man asked, walking up to the two of them.

"Sure," Carol said.

They propped open the back of the truck and Rick whistled low at what he saw. "You two are going to be worshipped." He picked up one of the bags of coffee, brought it to his nose and inhaled. His eyes rolled in pleasure.

"We know," Carol smiled and winked at Daryl, who flushed. "Each of you gets your own stash. There's even a few coffee pots."

Daryl was almost sure there were tears shimmering in Rick's eyes.

"Carol's idea," Daryl felt the need to say. "Would have just driven past the place if she hadn't pointed it out."

Rick turned to Carol. "Marry me."

"You're already married, mister." She punched him lightly in the arm. "And I'd rather not be on Lori's bad side. Now, I'm going to take this box up to the house for Hershel. You can distribute the rest, Daryl."

Daryl continued to glare at Rick, even as the man turned to the back of the truck to gather more supplies. He knew that his friend hadn't been serious with Carol, but it was still uncalled for.

"So, how many do we each get?"

Daryl gave him an answer and allowed the glare to slip away. "You tell Lori, yet?"

"About the treasure you just brought us? No. Just got here."

"No, you dumbass," he growled. "About what we talked about earlier."

"Oh. No, I haven't. Why?"

"Don't." He reached for a box and was going to leave it at that, but of course Rick had to ask why.

"Cuz I don't want no one else comin' with and I don't want it gettin' back to Sophia."

Rick looked at Daryl with a look that Daryl couldn't name...or didn't want to. One side of Rick's mouth tilted up, his head cocked and his eyes narrowed. "Is it because you don't want to watch out for anyone else...or," he drew out the word. "Because you want to spend more time with Carol?"

Rick knew. Of course, he knew. Sometimes, he was clueless about things and other times, he was spot on.

Daryl grabbed his box. "Both," he mumbled and quickly hurried away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

After separating the coffee and some of the books among the other members of the group. Daryl and Carol drove the truck closer to Daryl's RV, deciding to stash Sophia's present in there until it got a little closer to her birthday.

As Daryl hid the boxes under his bed, Carol fiddled with the gas stove (which was hardly ever used). "Why don't we have a cup of coffee?" She asked and threw a smile at him over her shoulder.

"Sounds perfect." He shoved the last box into hiding and sat on his bed to watch her.

"Don't tell anyone, but I grabbed most of the flavored stuff for you and me. I think we deserve it, right?"

"Hell yeah, we do."

Carol set a pot of water to boil on the stove before turning to Daryl. "Can you keep an eye on this while I go get Sophia? Andrea's been nice enough to keep her company since we got back. I'll take the truck back, too."

"Do you think it's safe bringing her here?"

"Don't worry," she said and winked. "She knows you don't bite."

That wasn't what he meant and she knew it. He huffed out a laugh anyway. "Well, you best get going before I drink up all the coffee."

"You won't be able to go to sleep for the rest of your life."

"Sounds like a good payoff."

Carol left the RV, then. Smiling and shaking her head. Daryl watched her go, slightly proud of himself for being able to keep up with her teasing. Normally, he would just flush and stutter out a half-hearted 'stop'.

The sound of a vehicle starting and driving off sounded. It wouldn't take Carol long at all to get back to the house, but she and Sophia would be walking back, so that would take them a few minutes. He hoped they got back before the water boiled because honestly, he didn't know what to do with it. Sure, he knew how to make coffee back when there was electricity and the pot did it all for him. Now, not so much.

Ten minutes later, the water is boiling and Carol is walking back through the door with Sophia close behind. Sophia has her coloring book and box of crayons in her arms. When she saw Daryl, she offered him a shy smile and went to sit at the table.

"Perfect timing," Carol said and went to the stove. "Sophia, you want a cup?" There was a twinkle in Carol's eye and when Sophia stuck out her tongue in disgust, Daryl knew why.

"More for us, then," he said.

"She'll learn to like it one day." Carol picked up the pan by the handle and went to where she had one of the coffee pots sitting. Lifting the top, she started to slowly pour the hot coffee in the filter. With a gurgle, rich, brown coffee began pouring into the pot. The smell filled the RV and Daryl's mouth watered.

"Find something to drink out of?" Carol asked.

"Sure." Getting to his feet, he began rutting around in the cabinets. When he found two, black coffee mugs in a cupboard above their heads, he held them out triumphantly.

"Perfect." Carol said and poured him a cup first. Then, herself.

They took the cups to the table. Sophia stood and allowed her mother to climb in the booth next to her. However, instead of sitting back down, the young girl took the seat next to Daryl. She pushed the coloring book and crayons between them. "Wanna color a page?"

He couldn't turn that down. Not with Carol right there and Sophia looking at him so hopeful. "Uh...sure." He opened the box of crayons. "Haven't done this..." _Ever_. "Since I was little," he finished. "So, what am I coloring?"

"The Beast!" Sophia cried and pointed to the picture on the right side of the book. It was of a finely dressed...beast, who was bowing at the waist and smiling at something.

"...Okay."

"And I'm coloring Belle." On the next page was a picture of a pretty woman with a big, puffy dress. She had a piece of her dress in each hand and was curtsying to something to her right.

"All right."

So there he sat, sipping the most delicious coffee he had ever tasted and coloring a picture of a beast. For a moment, he started to think that this was their RV and Sophia and Carol were his family.

* * *

"Mama?" Fifteen minutes of quiet had gone by when Sophia finally spoke. She put down her yellow crayon and looked across at Carol.

"Yes, honey?"

"Earlier, I saw Carl with some books," she started a little unsure. "Said that you and Daryl got them for him. Did...did you get anything for me?"

If only she knew what all they had gotten her.

"I did." Carol stood from the booth and looked at Carol. "Close your eyes, okay? Don't open them until I say. No peeking, either. Daryl will let me know."

"Okay!" Sophia slammed her eyes shut.

Carol makes her way to Daryl's bed and asks silent permission to go underneath it. He nodded and Carol reached for a box. After digging around for a bit and looking at titles, she comes up with a book in her hand. She placed it in front of Sophia and took her seat before telling Sophia to open her eyes.

" _A Whole New World_?"

"It's like a retelling of _Aladdin_. The Disney version. There's two others in the series if you like them. There wasn't one about Cinderella." Though, she had another series with the first book based off of Cinderella. She'd give them to Sophia later. Along with the Disney books.

"I'm sure I'll like." She opened the book and had the biggest smile on her face. "And it's pretty big too so I won't finish it too quick." Immediately, she started reading the first page.

"Hey, thought we was doin' something," Daryl teased and pointed to the coloring book.

"You can finish, Daryl. I want to read."

He shrugged. "Can't argue with that." He finished his picture quickly and closed the book.

Together, the three of them sat in the RV until the sun began to descend on the horizon. Daryl and Carol talked quietly over their cups of coffee while Sophia curled up on Daryl's bed to read her new book.

T-Dog walked into the RV sometime later. If he was surprised to see Carol and Sophia hanging out in his home, he didn't show it. Instead, he roped Carol and Daryl into playing a little cards. Carol lost nearly every hand until Daryl took pity on her.

"Lucky we weren't placing bets," T-Dog laughed. "You'd have nothing left, Carol."

"I think instead of teachin' you how to shoot, I should have taught you how to play cards."

Carol frowned and crossed her arms. Her losing hand was spread out in front of her on the table. "One of these days, I'll get the hang of this."

"Probably not for a lot of days, though," T-Dog teased and collected his cards. It was dark outside now and time for bed.

Rolling her eyes at her friend, she stood and stretched. "Come on, Sophia. We should be getting back and Daryl needs his bed."

There was no response.

Daryl turned to see that Sophia had fallen asleep on his bed with her book still open on her chest. "I got her," he said and stood.

"You don't have to."

"Nah, it's okay. Kid's tired. I got her."

T-Dog watched the exchange between the two with a knowing smile (that neither of them saw) and went to own bed to lie down. Glenn owed him big because there was no way those two _weren't_ together.

* * *

The girl weighed nothing.

Daryl easily scooped Sophia up in his arms while Carol took the book from her chest gently. Sophia didn't even stir. "Either she's really tired or the book was that borin'."

"She's been with Carl all day. You know how that boy never stops."

Carol led the way and held open the RV door for him. "Unfortunately, I do." One evening, he had taken the boy out for a shooting lesson as a favor for Rick, who was going on a run with Glenn to get baby things for Lori. Carl had nearly driven him crazy with the constant questions and bragging about how good of a shot he had become.

When they made it to Carol and Andrea's RV, they walked quietly in. Andrea was asleep in her bunk at the back of the RV, next to Carol's. The table had already been transformed into Sophia's bed and Daryl gently laid her in it while Carol covered her daughter with a blanket.

"Well...uh. Goodnight." He turned to go.

"Daryl, wait." A hand grasped his shoulder and he turned.

In the moonlight creeping through the windows, he could barely make out Carol's face. "Yeah?"

"Thank you," she said. "For everything today. It was nice getting off the farm for a bit...and it was nice to have a quiet evening with you."

"Ain't no problem. Do it tomorrow,too, if you want."

"I'd jump at the chance if I didn't have cooking duty all day tomorrow."

"Damn," he sighed.

"But just think...in a few days, we'll be having our own little vacation." She stood on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, Daryl."

"N-Night."

As Daryl walked back to his RV, his mind whirled. It was almost like he was walking on air (he didn't care how cheesy that sounded). If this was how spending one day with Carol felt like. How was it going to feel being with her for several days?

Could someone really die from happiness?


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

It took a week for Daryl to gather all of the supplies needed for the trip to Disney World. Carol did what she could on the farm, when Sophia wasn't hanging around, but it wasn't much. Or so she said. Truthfully, she must have been some sort of ninja the way she avoided Sophia _and_ Lori as she gathered supplies. Lori had eagle eyes and liked to poke her nose in other people's business.

"She'd probably0 try to pawn Carl off on us," Daryl said one cool evening over a cup of coffee. This time, they were drinking it around a fire in front of Daryl's RV. Sophia was already in bed. "If she found out where we're going."

"You're right." Carol didn't even try to defend her friend because it was true. Lori needed a break from her son, but Carol was not willing to help her out this time. Knowing Carl, he'd run off once they got on the road and what would Carol tell Lori then?

Plus, she didn't want anyone to ruin the time she and Sophia would have with Daryl.

"You know who else would want to go?" Carol asked, a smile curling her lips.

"Hershel's daughter. The youngest one?" The girl was forever singing songs around the farm and for all Daryl knew they could have been a Disney song.

"No, though she might want to."

"We ain't takin' her," he grumbled.

"Of course not," Carol said patiently and squeezed one of his hands. "I wasn't even thinking about asking. Actually, I don't want anyone else to go." This time Carol was the one to flush.

"Really?" Daryl leaned a little toward her in his chair, trying to catch her eye. She wanted it to be just her, Sophia and him on this trip? Well, that made two of them.

"Yeah." She didn't look his way but her cheeks were still red. "But I bet if you asked Glenn, he would definitely jump at the chance to go."

"Glenn?"

"I bet he's a secret Disneyphile."

"Really?"

She chuckled. "I don't know. I was just teasing. But can you see it being true?"

He totally could. "Yeah," he chuckled along with her. "Can you just see him on all the rides?"

"Especially the teacups," Carol laughed in her hand.

"His favorite would probably be 'It's A Small World' since that song is so damn annoying, just like he is sometime." They laughed harder at that. Daryl couldn't remember a time he had laughed like this. Probably never.

They stopped, however, when they heard the sound of a RV door opening and closing. Seconds later, Sophia was standing in the glow of their fire wearing her pajamas and rubbing her tired eyes. "What's so funny, mom? I can hear you from my bed."

Both flushed a deep red at being heard. It made them wonder who else had heard them but weren't saying anything.

"Oh, Daryl just told me a funny joke."

Daryl jerked his head to face her, mouth slightly opened. "I did?" He whispered.

Before Carol could replay, Sophia turned to him. "I wanna hear it!" Daryl glared at Carol. He had no funny jokes to tell that kid. Appropriate ones, anyway.

"It was an adult joke, honey," Carol jumped in and saved him (well, she had been the one to put him in the situation in the first). "So, he can't tell you."

"Oh," she pouted. "But _do_ you know any funny jokes you can tell me?"

"Sorry, kid. I got nothin'."

"Come on, sweetie." Carol stood and walked over to Sophia. "Let's get you back to your bed. "Maybe one of these days, I'll find you a joke book." As their voices faded, Daryl gulped down the rest of his coffee and noticed that Carol's was still by her chair.

Did that mean she was coming back? He hoped so. The night was still early and he wanted to spend more time with her. He really had it bad and if Merle had been there, he would not have heard the end of it.

 _"Dixon's don't do that love shit,"_ he could hear his brother say. _"Do you think our daddy ever loved our mama or the other way around?"_

Before everything had gone bad in the world, Daryl may have shared his brother's view on love. But then, he had met Carol.

A few minutes later, Carol returned. "Sorry about that," she said and sat back in her seat.

"You sorry for leavin' or sorry for throwin' me under the bus like that?" He decided to giver her a hard time.

"Uh, both?" She said sheepishly and hid half her face behind her coffee cup. "I didn't want Sophia to know what we were talking about and I panicked. But I also saved you, too." She flicked him in the shoulder.

"S'true," he agreed. "So, was thinkin' that maybe we could leave in a few days. How does that sound?"

"Perfect," she said. "I looked at Hershel's calander today, and Sophia's birthday is in a little over a week."

"We could probably get there right on her birthday if the roads aren't too bad and we don't run into trouble."

"And we'll just tell Sophia we're going on a little vacation. Even if we don't make it to Disney World, she'll still be thrilled."

"Good." However, Daryl was going to do all that he can to make sure that Sophia got to see that damn castle.

* * *

Daryl walked Carol back to her RV a few hours later, like a gentleman. His face flushed just thinking about that. Luckily, it was dark and Carol had her back to him. There was a candle flickering in the window of the RV and Daryl cursed, wondering if it was Sophia waiting for her mom to come back.

But it was only Andrea, who was reading a book on her table-turned-bed. She waved when she saw him behind Carol when she opened the door.

So much for kissing her. Not that he thought he'd have the balls for that. (But for his ego's sake, he was going to blame Andrea this time).

"Goodnight, Daryl," she said and when she went up on her toes, Daryl thought _she_ would be the one to kiss him. Well, she did...but it was only on the cheek (which Daryl was totally going to take).

"Goodnight," he said back. "See you tomorrow."

He waited until the door closed and the candle flickered as Carol walked past it on her way to the room in the back of the RV and Sophia, before heading back to the fire. He wasn't ready for bed, yet. His mind was racing and his heart pounded against his chest, like they always did after an evening with Carol.

He was really turning into a sap.

* * *

"So, Daryl, huh?" Andrea asked when Carol came back to her part of the RV to grab a water bottle.

"Yes, Andrea. Daryl. We've been spending many of our evenings together. It's nothing new. Especially to you." They've had this conversation many times before. Carol had been embarrassed the first few times, but no longer. It was almost like a ritual. Her friend just wanted to know more about Carol's relationship with Daryl (or lack of).

"I _know_ you've been spending a lot of time with him." She put her book to the side, which Carol suspected she had only used as a reason for being up late. " _Well_?"

"Well, what?"

One of Andrea's eyebrows arched and Carol smiled.

"I kiss him-" Andrea squealed (quietly so Sophia wouldn't wake. "On the cheek," Carol finished.

The blonde's face fell. "Oh, boo."

Carol uncapped her water to take a sip and leaned her hip on the counter. "If I tell you something, you have to _promise,"_ she put a lot of emphasis on the word. "Not to tell a word to anyone."

"You two had sex!"

"No!" Carol looked quickly to the door leading to her and Sophia's room, hoping that her daughter was still sound asleep. "Just a kiss on the cheek. Remember?"

"Sex has happened with less," Andrea mumbled.

Carol twirled the cap in her hand and bit her lip. Andrea was one of her closest friends on the farm and they lived together. She would defintely notice if Carol was gone for several days. "Daryl, Sophia and I are...going on a trip."

"Oh? Where?"

With another glance at the door, Carol sat at the end of Andrea's bed and whispered. "Don't laugh. We're going to Disney World. It's for Sophia's birthday."

Instead of laughing, Andrea looked touched. "Aw. But-"

"It's not going to be the same, but I know Sophia is going to love it. She's obsessed with Cinderella's castle." She picked at Andrea's purple sheet. "It was Daryl's idea."

"What?" Her friend as loud as she could in a whisper. "Carol!"

Concerened, she asked, "What?"

"That. Man. Is in. Love. With. _YOU!_ "

Carol didn't say anything, her attention focused on the sheet in her hand. Daryl in love with her? She didn't think so. Good friends? Yes. Love? No. If Sophia hadn't taken a shine to him, he probably wouldn't even talk to her.

"He so would talk to you!" Andrea shook her shoulder.

Carol blinked. Had she said that aloud?

"No," Andrea answered. "I can just read your mind." She winked.

"If...If he's in love with me. What do I do?" No one had ever been love with her before. Well, maybe Ed for a brief moment, but he didn't count. He'd never count.

"Get naked, of course!"

"Not with my daughter, around," Carol gasped, horrified.

"I'm just teasing, honey." She pinched her lightly. "You're easy to tease."

 _So is Daryl_... She smiled. "You know, Andrea. I'm really glad you decided to stay with us."

After Rick had admitted to killing Shane, there had been a tense few days after the herd where they thought Andrea would leave them. She knew how dangerous Shane had been and knew that Rick had only acted in self-defense, but she had come to care for the man. Of course, Shane had only really cared about Lori.

Andrea smiled sadly and reached for Carol's hand. "I'm glad I stayed, too. Though, I could deal without Lori's cattiness, sometimes." Pregnancy had not been treating the other woman very nicely, but at least she had a safe place to have her child.

"Even Rick would agree with you." Carol chuckled soflty and stood from her friend's bed. "It was nice talking to you, Andrea, but I think I'm going to get to bed."

Andrea gave her a suspicious looking smile. "If you want, you can go to Daryl's RV. I'll lie to Sophia in the morning."

"Good _night_ , Andrea!" Carol turned from her friend and headed to the back room. She'd never let Andrea see her flushed cheeks or secret smile.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

When the day to leave finally arrived, Daryl felt like he was going to be sick.

This was it.

In just a little bit, the three of them would be leaving the farm for several days. Carol would sit in the passenger's seat and engage him in conversation while Sophia read a book in the back or bobbed her head along to whatever CD they managed to find.

Daryl felt excited and sick at the same time.

He was leaning against the hood of the truck as Carol and Sophia said their goodbyes. Rick walked up to him. "Be careful out there," he said. "First sign of trouble, you get your ass back here."

"Course. I ain't gonna put them at risk."

Rick clapped his shoulder before walking away. "I know you won't."

Glenn came to him next, eyes wide. "You're not leaving us for good, are you?" He looked genuinely upset. "Because I'm sorry for teasing you all those times. I won't do it again. Promise." The man looked seconds away from throwing his arms around Daryl and sobbing.

Daryl narrowed his eyes. "I ain't leavin' for good, you idiot. Why would I take Carol and Sophia _away_ from a safe place?"

This seemed to calm the younger man a little. A grin slowly crossed his face, then. It was something Daryl didn't want to see because he knew what it meant. "So, you're only doing this to get some alone time with Carol?"

"What alone time? Her daughter is coming along."

"You know what I mean."

"The answer is still no. I'm doing this for her little girl. Sophia's birthday is in a few days."

Glenn gave him an odd look. "And you thought a few days riding around with _you_ would be a good present?"

Daryl decided to ignore that and tugged Glenn close. "Listen, Short Round. If I tell you this, you can't tell anyone else."

Immediately, the younger man took a large step back and waved his hands in front of him. "Nuh uh. You know what happened the last time I had to keep a secret."

"Relax, man. It ain't life threatening." He lowered his voice, "But I will threaten your life if you tell anyone. Even that woman of yours."

His curiosity was piqued. "Alright. Tell me."

"We're going to Disney World."

Glenn guffawed. "No. Really. Where are you going?"

Daryl reached into his back pocket and took out the folded brochure. "It's where we're going. See?" He showed him the pamphlet.

Glenn's eyes widened when he saw that Daryl was telling the truth. Then, his face fell. "Aw, I want to come. The last and only time I went to Disney was when I was five."

"Sorry, man. This trip is only for Sophia."

Daryl couldn't wait to tell Carol that she had been right. Glenn definitely had wanted to come with. He was just about to ask the other man what his favorite ride had been (hoping that he said It's A Small World) when Lori walked, more like marched up to him.

Glenn saw the look on the other woman's face and scurried away to Maggie.

"Carol's not telling me where you three are going." There was no 'hello' or 'be safe on your trip'.

"Because she doesn't have to."

"Then, why are you leaving the farm?"

Daryl raised an eyebrow. There were many things he could have said to answer that question, but decided to be nice. "It's Sophia's birthday, soon. Carol wanted to do something different for her, and this is different."

"But it's not safe out there." Lori crossed her arms. "And we can throw Sophia a party here. She'd like that."

Daryl was not going to budge. This trip had taken too much planning to decide not to go, now. Plus, he was really looking forward to it. "Then, you can throw it for her when we get back."

"At least take some other people with you."

"Nah, we're good."

At that moment, Carol and Sophia came to his rescue. Glancing briefly at the other woman, Carol asked, "Are we ready to go, Daryl?"

"If you are."

"We are!" Sophia nodded enthusiastically. If this was how excited she was just going on a trip, Daryl couldn't wait until he could show her that damn castle. The real one.

"Carol, please," Lori said.

"We're okay." Carol embraced the other woman. "Daryl will keep us safe and we'll see you soon."

This effectively cut Lori off, who then watched helplessly as the three of them climbed into the car. The rest of the group gathered around the vehicle. Daryl started the engine and soon, they were off down the gravel driveway. Sophia was peering out the back and waving frantically back at everyone behind them.

Their trip to Disney World had officially begun.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"So, where are we going?"

Sophia bounced up and down in the backseat and asked the moment Daryl had driven the truck onto the highway. Honestly, he was waiting for the question and by the look Carol had shot him, she had, too.

"We're just going on a little vacation, honey," Carol answered, choosing her words wisely. "We thought you'd like to get off the farm and explore a little."

"Maybe we can see the ocean?" Sophia asked with slightly, pleading eyes. Daryl met them in the rearview mirror and had to look quickly away.

"If we don't run into trouble, I don't see why not."

"Yay!"

Carol shot him a look and Daryl only shrugged. She had seen the face Sophia had been making, so she had to know that he couldn't resist it.

For the next hour, Sophia had her face literally pressed against the car window as they made their way down the highway. Fortunately, they were very few walkers and even fewer snarls in the road. However, he knew that would change once they got closer to cities.

"Was thinkin'," Daryl said after awhile. "That I find us a place to spend the night, tonight. I know we got the back of the truck for that, but I think if we find a safe place with beds we should take advantage of it."

"I will go with whatever you want, Daryl." Her hands twitched in her lap. "It'd be nice to sleep in an actually bed. Don't get me wrong, the beds we have in the RV are comfortable, they're just..."

"I know. I sleep on 'em, too. How you and Sophia end up with the short straw and get the RV? You two should be up at the house."

Carol shrugged. "Lori's pregnant, she should stay near Hershel. I really don't mind being in the RV. It's less suffocating and I'm nearer to y-" She stopped and took a deep breath, before looking at him. "It's nearer to you."

Two hours later, they had hit their first road block. It looked as if a major crash had happened, since there were ambulances and firetrucks blocking most of the street. However, instead of saving anyone, it seemed they had all fled.

"We can start clearing this out, now and keep drivin'," Daryl said. "Or we can clear out that bed and breakfast over there and stay there for the night."

They'd only been on the road for three hours and it wouldn't be dark for a few more. The clearing of the road looked daunting, though.

"Why don't we clear as much as we can and then, call it a night?"

Daryl nodded. "Good idea."

"Sophia," Carol turned in her chair and addressed her daughter. "I need you to stay in the car while Daryl and I clear the road ahead, okay? Just keep reading your book and we'll be right out front."

Though the young girl's eyes widened in fright, she nodded. "I'll stay here, mom."

"Thank you, sweetie." She reached for Sophia's head so she could bring it close and placed a kiss on her forehead. "And If you need anything, just roll down the window and wave. Don't yell because that might attract walkers."

"Okay."

Daryl watched the exchange and felt pride swell in his chest. Carol was well aware of the dangers around them and Sophia understood this, as well. Despite running off in the woods because of fear, Sophia had grown up since then and would do _exactly_ what her mother had said and just like her mother, she had a good head on her shoulders.

Before they left, Carol pressed a knife into her daughter's hands. "Just in case, okay?" She looked worried about handing her daughter a weapon, but that was the world now and she would not allow her daughter to be unarmed. Especially, if she wouldn't be around to protect her.

"I'm ready Daryl," she said, finally turning to him.

"All right. Let's go."

After a few hours of pushing and moving some of the cars, they breaked to eat. They had no idea what time it was but the sun was closer to the west than the east. Carol had been the reason for stopping, much to her embarrassment. Daryl was under the steering wheel of a car, showing Carol how to hot-wire a car, when her stomach had rumbled loudly.

Daryl's head popped out from behind the wheel. He smirked. "Someone's hungry?"

"Shut up," she said, grumpily and crossed her arms over stomach, as if they would drown out the noise.

"We can stop to eat, if you want." He let the wires dangle as he sat up. "We can save this for later...when you've been fed."

"You know, it's not too late to turn around, Daryl Dixon!" She poked him in the stomach. "And you can't tell me you aren't hungry."

"I am." He climbed out of the car, that insufferable smirk still on his face. "But my stomach ain't screamin' at me. You think Sophia is hungry, too? Like mother, like daughter?"

"Shut up," Carol said with a grin and punched him lightly in the arm. "And just for being an ass, you have to prepare the meal."

"So, I'll be opening a few cans and ripping open some packages?"

"Pretty much."

"Okay, I can handle this."

Fifteen minutes later, Carol and Sophia sat on the hatch to the bed of the truck and giggled as Daryl struggled to open a can of fruit cocktail with a can opener.

"Son of a bitch," he cursed. "What's wrong with this thing?" Every time he went to turn the handle, the blade would slip off the lip of the can and he would just dig a grove into the can. Normally, he would have just used his knife, but Carol had handed him the opener.

"Do you need some help?" Sophia asked, reaching for the can.

At first, Daryl thought of refusing, but his stomach was starting to protest more now and things couldn't get any more embarrassing for him. "Here you go, kid." He handed the can and the offending opener into Sophia's hands.

As if she had been doing it all of her life, Sophia opened the can with ease. "Here you go." She handed it to him with a triumphant grin.

"I must have loosened it up for you," he mumbled and didn't care if it made sense. He grabbed three plastic forks and the three of them dug in.

"Doesn't it taste better knowing all the work you had to put in it?" Carol poked him in the arm with her fork and teased.

Daryl glared at her and didn't say anything, which caused Sophia and Carol start another fit of giggles. The sound, instead of making him angry or more embarrassed, caused a smile to appear on Daryl's face. This was one of the reasons why he hadn't want to go on this trip. He had wanted to hear the two of them laugh and if he was the object of their laughter, he was okay with it. This time.

After they were done eating, the three of them sat around and talked for a few minutes. Sophia told them about the book she was reading and how she couldn't wait to read the others. She had even brought the Disney princess books, even though, she admitted, they were for little kids but she still loved them.

Carol smoothed down her hair and told her that as long as she liked them, then she was never to old for them.

Daryl started to feel a little antsy sometime later, as they still stood around and talked. They were out in the open and hadn't really been paying attention to their surroundings. Carol noticed his nervousness and hopped from the truck.

"All right, honey," she said to Sophia. "Time to get back in the truck. Daryl and I are going to clear some more cars. When we stop for the night, we can talk about anything you want for as long as you want."

"Okay." Sophia had looked slightly disappointed that they would be leaving her in the car once more, but she understood.

Daryl felt a little bad about keeping Sophia locked up, but it was better than having her out in the open as they worked. Many things could happen to her and Daryl vowed that he was going to keep her safe. Her and her mother, right now, this was the only way.

It wasn't until they moved the fourth car when they saw their first walker or walkers. A group of three stumbled from the woods to their right. Daryl could have easily taken all of them, but Carol clutched her knife and followed him to the undead creatures. She was strong and capable of protecting herself. So, he let her. He took out two with his bow and let her go after the last one with her knife.

It took only a few minutes to dispatch the three walkers and Carol beamed when he looked his way. She was proud of herself and Daryl was proud of her, as well. She had come a long way since that meek woman back at the quarry.

"Wanna call it a night?" He asked. "We still have to clear the building."

"Yeah, we probably should. I don't want to be caught out here after dark." She sheathed her knife and the pair walked back to the truck and Sophia.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Later that evening, they had cleared out the bed and breakfast on the side of the road. It was a quaint house with four moderately sized rooms. Fortunately, the place was clear of walkers and despite a layer of dust, everything was still in good condition.

Carol was getting the bedrooms upstairs ready and Daryl sat on the cushions of a bay window, keeping watch. Sophia had been sitting on the kitchen table, reading her book, but soon found her way to Daryl.

"You're like the Beast."

Daryl only jumped a little at the sound of her voice. "Jesus, kid. Thought you was at the table."

"I was and then, I wanted to talk to you. Did you hear what I said?" She took the seat across from him, crossed her legs and placed a thick, pink book beside her.

"You said I was some kind of beast? I know I ain't too clean a lot of them, bu-"

"No, you aren't a beast, you're _the_ Beast."

"Oh...okay." He still didn't get it.

Sophia giggled and started flipping through the pages of her pink book. "Don't you remember that picture I had you color a few weeks ago?"

He did remember. He still thought of that night in his RV, often. "Yeah, it was of that really hairy guy."

"That's the Beast!"

"Oh...okay," he said, again.

"Look!" Sophia pointed to a picture in her book. On the glossy page was this Beast, looking exactly like the page he had colored before. "Here's the Beast and here's Belle. They're about to dance."

"So, how am I like him again?"

Sophia bit her lip. "Well, back at the quarry, you were kind of...loud. You and your brother yelled a lot. You didn't seem very nice." She looked up at him, almost afraid.

Daryl knew that she looked like that because she was afraid he'd be mad. Why would he be mad? Everything she said was true. "Yeah, that's how I was, kid. But I'm...better now, aren't I?"

She brightened and no longer looked scared. "Course you are! After you saved me from the woods, like Beast saved Belle from the wolves, you became a lot nicer. Just like the Beast became for Belle."

"So...you're Belle?"

"No, silly!" She laughed. "My mama is!"

"And who is Belle?"

Sophia flipped a few pages and then, showed him a page where the Beast was dancing with a pretty brunette woman in a poofy yellow dress. "That's Belle. Isn't she pretty?"

"Your mom's prettier."

 _Fuck._

He hadn't meant to say that aloud. Now, Sophia was giving him a look, one that bordered on being smug. Daryl never thought he'd see that look on her face. "You're right, Daryl," she said, closing the book. "She is prettier. Here," she handed him the thick book and opened it to a page that read _Beauty and the Beast._ "You can read all about the Beast and Belle in here."

At that exact moment, Carol appeared in the room and smiled when she saw the two of them sitting together. "Time for bed, sweetie."

Daryl watched as they left the room before picking up the book Sophia left behind and read the first line of the page. _Once upon a time._.. Daryl rolled his eyes but continued to read. Something told him that Sophia would be testing him in the morning and he didn't want to disappoint her.

* * *

"Mama, did you know that you're like Princess Jasmine?"

Carol guided Sophia up the stairs to the room she had just cleared. "How so, sweetie?"

"You're seeing a whole new world, right now!"

Back before the Turn, Ed didn't let them go out much and vacations were out of the question. Truthfully, Carol was seeing more of the world now that it had ended. "Doesn't that make you Princess Jasmine, too."

"I guess." Her face scrunched up a little. "But I think you're more like her. I can be Genie!"

"And who's Aladdin?" It was meant to be a teasing remark, to show Sophia that she was playing along with her little game.

"Daryl, of course!"

Just like that, things got a little more serious. For Carol, anway. It was all innocent fun for her daughter, but it was something else entirely for Carol. Especially when she considered her feelings for Daryl.

This whole trip was for Sophia, but would it be far-fetched to think it was for her, as well?

* * *

Daryl had just gotten to the part where Belle and the Beast met for the first time and tried not to wince at how mean and angry the Beast had been to Belle. Had that really been him? Back in the quarry, yes. Definitely.

With a gasp, he remembered an incident at the nursing home. He had snapped harshly at Sophia and Carol had snapped right back. Shit, he had been asshole.

Not anymore, though. Sophia had said he wasn't like that anymore and weren't the words of kids the most honest?

"Do you plan on sleeping down here?"

The sound of Carol's voice made Daryl jump and shove the book to his right, out of sight. He'd read the damn thing for Sophia, but knew he'd never hear the end of it with Carol. Luckily, the few candles they had scrounged up cast the room in a pale light and didn't look as if Carol had seen the book.

"Nah. Just thought I'd keep watch for a few hours."

Carol walked more into the room. "I don't want to sound cocky, but we've sealed this place up tight. Plus, we'll all be on the second floor. I think we'll be okay without watch, tonight."

He _was_ tired and tomorrow was going to be another long day.

"Okay," he finally said. "I'll head on up."

"Good. Your room is next to mine and Sophia's. I already put a few candles in there for you."

"Uh, thanks." He stood, making sure to block her view of the big, pink book behind him.

Carol looked like she wanted to say more, but instead settled on smiling at him, instead. "You're welcome. Goodnight, Daryl."

"Goodnight."

After watching Carol leave and head up the stairs to Sophia, Daryl grabbed the book and quickly blew out the candles in the room. Once in his room, with the door shut and crossbow sitting near, he continued to read from the story of _Beauty and the Beast._

When he finished the story, his face was hot. If he was the Beast and Carol was Belle, according to Sophia, did that mean she wanted them to get together like the characters had in the book?

"You and me both, kid," he muttered and flipped the book shut. "Doesn't mean it's goin' to happen."

* * *

The next morning, Carol got breakfast together and Daryl, as discretely as possible, gave Sophia back her book. "Did you read it?" She asked, bouncing a little in her seat. Fortunately, Carol hadn't been in the room during that.

"Yeah, I did. S'good."

"Knew you'd like it," she said smugly. Turning, she placed the book in her backpack. She didn't ask anymore questions about the book and Carol returned with breakfast. They eat quickly, and then Sophia goes back to sitting in the pickup while they clear the rest of the cars from the highway.

It didn't take long and soon, they were back on the road.

Daryl glanced in the rearview mirror to see Sophia staring out the window, a smile on her face. If that was how she looked at passing trees and empty cars, Daryl couldn't wait to see how she looked when they pulled up to Disney World.

"Why are you smiling?" Carol asked from the passenger's seat, one side of her mouth tipped up.

"Ah, no reason." Quickly, he stopped smiling.

"Uh, huh," she said, knowing he was lying and what he wasn't telling her.

After that, they drove along in silence. However, Daryl's mind was anything but silent. It raced with things he could talk with Carol about, but each topic felt stupid so his mouth remained glued shut.

Sophia soon stopped watching the scenery and retrieved her book. Just in time, too, for they past a sign that read '268 miles Orlando'.

"We've driven two hundred miles already?" Carol turned and asked Daryl. "Hasn't felt like it."

"Time flies when you're havin' fun...or some shit like that," he finished lamely before sneaking a glance at her. Fortunately, she smiled at him and wasn't giving him an odd look.

"I guess that saying is true," she replied.

Glancing at the rearview mirror, to Sophia who looked to be engrossed in her book, Carol lowered her voice, "Do you think we'll make it there by tomorrow?"

"Don't know. Roads will probably be crazy the closer we get to the city. I'm aiming for the day after tomorrow or maybe even two days from now."

Instead of looking disappointed, Carol smiled. "I don't mind a few more days on the road," she said. "As long as they're with you." After a few seconds, she must have realized what she said and faltered a little. "Uh, because I know you'll help keep us safe."

"Yeah, I'll definitely be doing that." Daryl wanted until Carol turned to look out her window before he allowed himself a secret smile.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

That night, they stopped at an abandoned house. A one story ranch with small front windows and two bedrooms. They parked the truck in the back of the house, where it would be hidden from the road and possible anyone who would be driving on it.

Few walkers were hanging around outside, which Daryl and Carol had dispatched quickly, but none inside. In fact, the place had looked untouched. The cabinets in the kitchen were empty, but the beds all had pillows and blankets. Carol had even gone 'shopping' in one of the closests.

Daryl saw her finger a pretty, yellow sundress, but bi-passed it for a sturdy looking leather jacket and a few t-shirts. Already, he was thinking of ways he could sneak it into his pack without her noticing. (God, he had it _bad_.)

Carol went to retrieve Sophia from the truck while Daryl went off to find something quick to eat in the woods. They hadn't had meat in a few days, and canned fruit would get old pretty fast (especially if he struggled to open the damn cans all the time).

"I'll be back in a bit," he called to the girls as he strode past them. "Maybe stay in the house until I get back?" He didn't want to order them to stay in the house, but it would ease his worry if they would.

"We will," Carol said and nodded.

"Thanks," he sighed in relief and walked through the treeline.

* * *

An hour later, Sophia sat curled on the couch with a book in her hand while Carol sat at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee growing cold in front of her. For a moment, Carol thought of herself as a worried wife waiting up for her husband. But, Daryl wasn't her husband and she was no one's wife. Not anymore (thank God).

However, she didn't have to worry much longer. A few minutes later, Daryl walked through the back door with a rabbit on his belt and a duck in his hand. "Sorry," he said, seeing the look on Carol's face.

Sophia had only glanced up from her book and waved. Unlike her mother, she not worried and knew Daryl would return.

"I got the rabbit, but then heard water and saw the duck." He placed both dead animals on the counter. "Figured we could each have a bigger portion this time. Both of you are too damn skinny."

Carol nudged him with a hip. "Hey," she protested with a smile.

"What? He threw his hands in the air. "It's the truth."

"Well, I hope you don't mind if I take your portion, too. Since I'm so skinny and all." She winked and turned on the gas stove. On top, she had already set a large pan of water.

While they waited for it to boil, Daryl skinned and gutted the rabbit(outside). Carol went to the back of the truck to look for anything that would go well with the meat. After a moment, she grabbed a can of corn and green beans.

When she returned, Sophia was no longer on the couch. Carol found her in the kitchen, standing next to Daryl, who was bent forward slightly to get closer to the young girl's height. They were talking softly to one another while Sophia was pointing at something in one of her books.

"Keeping secrets from your mother now, Sophia," Carol teased and walked into the room.

Her daughter huffed a little in annoyance and Daryl quickly turned back to the stove, not before Carol saw his face grow red, though. "I was just telling him about my book, mom." Scrunching up her nose in a little pout, Sophia left the room.

"Was that really what she was telling you?" Carol teased. "Or were you two discussing how awesome I am?"

"Pfft. It ain't a secret how awesome you are." The word sounded a little odd coming from his mouth, but Carol didn't care. Especially since he gave her a smile over his shoulder.

"I know," she quipped and joined him at the stove.

They stood there for a moment, silent. Until Daryl spoke, "So, uh, Sophia really likes them books you got her."

"I'm glad. Reading was always an escape for her before. When things got bad, I'd tell her to go in her room, put her headphones in and get lost in her favorite book." Carol rubbed her arms at the memory. "Now, she's able to enjoy them without having to think about what's happening to her mother."

She felt Daryl tense beside her, and when she looked up, she saw it was in anger. NOt at her, she knew, but at her dead husband.

"Sorry for making the conversation so serious," she told him. She really was. They had been teasing earlier. The atmosphere had been lighthearted and fun. Then, she had to go and open her mouth.

"You ain't gotta apologize. Talk about whatever you want. I'll listen." He gave her a shy smile and look. The anger seemed to have been put under control and Daryl was almost like a shy teenager, now.

"Thank you," Carol replied with a smile of her own. "I think I'm going to take you up on that offer."

And she did.

* * *

Soon after dinner was served, Carol went to one of the rooms to get it ready for Sophia. This, once again, left Daryl with Sophia and the book she was reading.

"You really likin' that book, huh?" He asked, starting the conversation. "Your nose has been stuck in it all day."

At that , Sophia's freckled nose poked over the top of the book. "It's a good book. _Aladdin_ is one of my favorite Disney movies."

"I thought _Cinderell_ a was or was it _Beauty and the Beast_?"

Sophia fixed him with a look that made Daryl think he'd said something that wasn't too smart. "You can have more than one favorite, Daryl," she said with a sigh. " _Cinderella_ is my top favorite and the other two are my other favorites."

Daryl was still confused, but he'd let Sophia be Sophia and not question it.

"Do you want to read it when I'm done?"

"Nah, I'm good," he replied. "Merle was the reader in my family."

"Really?" Sophia closed her book and gave Daryl her full attention. "Do you miss him?"

Daryl shrugged, a little self-conscious. "Sometimes. He was an asshole most of the time. But when he wasn't, I liked being around him."

"Do you think he's still out there?" The 'alive' part was unspoken, but Daryl knew what she was asking.

"He's a tough son of a...uh, female dog," Daryl didn't know if Carol would appreciate if he continued to curse in front of her daughter. "He's missing a hand, but I bet you he's still alive and kicking out there."

"Maybe while we're out here, we can look for him," she said innocently.

Daryl shrugged. "Merle's probably three states away, by now." He tried not to sound bitter. After being stranded on the roof, he hadn't even come back to the quarry camp for Daryl.

Now, Daryl was glad for it because he wouldn't be here with Carol and Sophia. But it still hurt that his brother hadn't even cared enough about him to come back.

"Oh. I'm sorry." She looked so sad, and it was for his dumbass brother.

"S'alright, kid. I got you all, now."

Sophia brightened at this. "Yeah, we're like a family. You, mommy and me!"

Daryl felt his face heat up. "Yeah," he finally choked out. "We are."

Behind them, in the doorway, Carol covered her mouth as happy tears formed in her eyes.

* * *

 _24 Miles to Orlando_

Carol and Daryl glanced at one another when they saw the sign. They had driven all day, and hadn't even stopped to eat. Instead, they just ate as Daryl drove. Carol briefly took the wheel to allow Daryl to eat and rest.

"We'll find a place to stay the night. Maybe a mile or so away. Then, tomorrow..." He trailed off, knowing Carol would understand and it didn't risk Sophia finding out what they were talking about.

"Sounds perfect." Carol smiled.

Soon, Sophia would be getting her birthday present. Both adults were eager to see how she would react. Daryl just hoped that the place wasn't overrun and Sophia would get her glimpse at Cinderella's castle.

Like Atlanta, there weren't many cars on the road leading into Orlando. Instead, there were hundreds, thousands, leading away from the city. Walkers milled around the abandoned vehicles and the side of the road, but not too many where they had to worry.

"Wish I could have seen this place before...everything," Carol spoke, glancing at the buildings and landscapes they passed.

"There's a lot of places I wish I could have gone, too," Daryl replied. He'd followed Merle everywhere back then and had missed out on so much.

"I guess for now, we'll just have to deal with the dead walking around." Carol quirked him a smile before looking in the backseat. Sophia had abandoned her book and was staring out the window. Everything seemed so fascinating to her, and they hadn't even made it to Disney World.

"Are we going through here on the way to the ocean?" Sophia's blonde head poked through the front seats and looked between the two adults.

Carol quickly glanced at Daryl before answering. "Yes, honey. We thought it would be nice to see."

"It is." Sophia sat back and continued to look through her window. "Too bad we can't see Disney World."

Daryl and Carol smiled quickly at one another before straightening their faces and focused their eyes out the windshield.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

They stop at an old, run down motel a few miles away from Disney World. It had been a cheap place to stay for those already paying hundreds of dollars to enjoy the Disney experience.

Daryl supposed that was one good thing about the Turn. They didn't have to pay an admission fee.

They leave Sophia in the car as they clear a few of the rooms, so they won't be surprised in the morning, and pick the cleanest one to stay for the night. Only a few of their belongings are brought in. Daryl barricaded the door with one of the dressers and shut the curtains.

Carol had the foresight to bring a box of candles along with them for situations like this, when they had to block out their only source of light. Sophia happily went around the small room, placing and lighting candles. Carol did her best to beat the dust out of the beds and Daryl went out to scavenge a little around the area.

They all had their jobs and did them without complaint.

Daryl returned a half later, in his arms a box filled with chips, candy bars and other snacks.

"Found an old vending machine," he explained and set his prize down on a table. Sophia eagerly searched through the goodies and grabbed a chocolate bar.

"Not much of a dinner," Carol muttered, but looked in the box for herself. She didn't even protest when Sophia reached in for another snack. She was allowed to have these little pleasures.

"We still have some cans in the car," Daryl replied, munching on a bag of potato chips, which had most likely been stale before the Turn. But he was eating them like they were a delicacy.

"No, this is fine." She smiled at him. "Really. Thank you."

He shrugged. "Ain't nothin'."

They continued eating the vending machine snacks and spoke quietly to one another, in case walkers or even, other survivors were out there and could hear. Daryl had the foresight to park their truck a few doors down.

After awhile, Sophia retreated to one of the beds, snuggled under the covers and went to bed. Carol and Daryl waited a few minutes, to make sure she was really asleep, before pulling out the map of Orlando and Disney World.

"We'll definitely be there by tomorrow," Daryl said. "Early, too. Since we ain't that far."

"Good."

"I want to check the place out first, though," he said and looked up at Carol. "Make sure it isn't swarmed with walkers. I don't want to put you and Sophia in harm's way by driving into a herd."

"I understand." She placed a hand over his on the map.

"If the place is clear enough, we can look around some. I'm sure Sophia can get a souvenir or two from one of the shops." A smile quirked on his mouth.

"And we can get a set of mouse ears. For _each_ of us."

"I ain't wearin' one of them damn things," Daryl grumbled. "Embarrassin'."

"No one is going to see you, except us." Carol leaned forward over the table and spoke in an even lower voice. "What if Sophia asked you, too?"

He did have a weakness for that little girl. He'd do just about anything for her. _Almost_ anything. "No. Not even for her."

"What about if _I_ asked you?"

Damn Carol. Now, Daryl would do _anything_ for her. Anything. "I ain't gotta a choice, then?"

Carol did move away, their faces were inches apart. "Not really. But I'll tell you what. All you'll have to do is wear them for _five_ minutes and then, you can toss them away. I'm not that cruel, Daryl."

No, what was cruel was having Carol so close and Daryl not having the courage to close those few inches to kiss her. Even now, he could see her eyes drift to his lips and if that wasn't enough of an invitation, then he didn't know what was.

 _Fuck it!_

"Momma?"

 _Dammit._

Of course, there would be an interruption. _Of course._

Carol turned her head and sat back in her seat, no longer a breath away from Daryl. "Yes, honey? Nightmare?"

"Not really." The little girl sat up. "For a minute, I didn't know where you were."

"I'll be there in a minute," she soothed. "Daryl and I are just planning what we're doing tomorrow."

"The ocean?" Sophia asked, excitedly.

"Yes," Carol lied and glanced briefly at Daryl.

"Okay." Sophia laid back down, a broad smile on her face and closed her eyes. "I can wait."

Carol turned to Daryl and whispered. "Maybe we should really go to the ocean sometime, too."

Daryl nodded in agreement and folded the map up. They had planned enough for tomorrow and as long as Sophia got to see the castle, the plan would be a success.

* * *

The next morning, Sophia bounded out of the bed like a kid excited for Christmas. She shook Carol awake, who sat up with a slight groan, hair mused. Daryl, normally an early riser, shoved another pillow over his head and mumbled, "Five more minutes."

After Carol had joined Sophia in bed, Daryl had stayed up by the light of one candle, pouring over the map of Disney World (that he had taken back out once Carol had closed her eyes) and a few of the guidebooks. It would have been a place a younger version of himself might like to go.

It would be...nice to explore the grounds of the enormous theme park and the practical part of his brain couldn't help but think about all the supplies they could find. Canned food, batteries, clothes, shoes, countless other things. One didn't think of a theme park to scavenge and the possibility of it being overrun with walkers probably kept them away.

Finally, once his eyes started to close, Daryl put the map and books back in his bag. He shoved a chair under the doorknob, hoping that was enough to keep out any unwanted visitors or at least make enough noise to alert him. Then, he climbed into his bed and quickly fell asleep.

It only seemed like minutes since he had closed his eyes before Sophia was jumping around the room with excitement.

Grumbling, Daryl uncovered his head and sat up. Carol looked just as tired as he felt, but followed Sophia's movements with a smile on her face. "Wish we had a place to make coffee," she said, standing to stretch.

Daryl tried hard not to focus on the patch of skin her shirt was exposing as she lifted her arms. "Uh, yeah. Could really use some right now."

"When we get back, we can make up for these last few days." She smiled at him and moved to the table, where Sophia was already rummaging around for breakfast.

Carol slung a bag of trail mix at him and Daryl opened it, hungrily and emptied half of it in his mouth. What he wouldn't give for some of Hershel's chicken eggs right now. They'd been spoiled back on the farm. Daryl had almost forgotten what it felt like to be on the run.

Sophia finished before the two adults, hardly eating anything in her excitement. Carol asked her to start packing up the few things they'd brought in. The little girl had done so happily, and then sat at the edge of the bed closest to the door.

"If that ain't her way of tellin' us to hurry up, I don't know what is," Daryl whispered to Carol. Sophia's didn't even look their way. Her eyes were glued to the door, almost like she was keeping watch instead of silently urging them to hurry up.

"We should probably hurry up, then. I'm actually excited to see her reaction to our surprise."

"Me too," Daryl admitted.

The whole trip, he'd been looking forward to the moment Sophia laid eyes on Disney World. He wanted to know he had done the right thing in suggesting they'd go and he wanted Sophia to have at least one good memory during the Apocalypse.

Finally, twenty minutes later, they were on the road again. Carol was looking over the map and giving Daryl directions quiet enough that Sophia couldn't hear. Sophia had abandoned her book and has her nose pressed to the window.

"We're close," Carol spoke in near whisper. "Just take a right here. You know, we're going to have to go into the park in order to see the castle. We won't be able to just drive by."

"Of course it couldn't be that easy," he said wryly before quirking a smile at Carol. "Figure if it ain't too bad inside, we could hole up for a bit."

Daryl hoped that at the end of the world people hadn't flocked to the amusement park. He hoped that it wouldn't be overrun with walkers and he hoped Sophia would be able to see the castle without fear of being swarmed by the undead.

Several minutes, they were pulling into a massive parking lot. Carol and Daryl switched positions. Carol drove as Daryl hung out the window with his crossbow and picked off the few walkers meandered around on the asphalt. He hadn't wanted to take any chances, not with Sophia and Carol.

Several minutes later, they were pulling into a massive parking lot. Carol and Daryl switched positions. Carol drove as Daryl hung out the window with his crossbow and picked off the few walkers meandered around on the asphalt. He hadn't wanted to take any chances, not with Sophia and Carol.

"Where are we?"

For being pressed to the window, Sophia hadn't paid attention very well. It wasn't until Carol pulled up to the front of the parking lot, did it hit Sophia.

"Disney World!" She practically screamed and Daryl was glad he had killed the walkers in the parking lot because they would have surely made their way to them.

"Happy birthday, sweetie."

Sophia threw her arms around Carol as best she could from the back seat. "Thank you!"

"It was Daryl's idea."

Daryl had no time to prepare for the small child that went flying into his arms. "Thank you, Daryl! This trip has been amazing so far, but this makes it even better."

"It ain't nothin'," he chuckled. "Now, why don't we go inside and have a look around."

Sophia flew out of the car. Carol and Daryl were right behind her, both armed and ready. However, they didn't make it very far before they heard, "Put your weapons down and hands up!"

* * *

 **Uh oh.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for the wait. Hope this makes up for it!**

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve**

"Put your weapons down and hands up!"

Daryl immediately moved in front of Carol, who shoved Sophia behnd her. At least five people, who all looked to be in there twenties, were poInting guns at them. Daryl wasn't stupid and lowered his crossbow to the ground. Carol did the same with her gun.

Two of the armed people came up to them. A man and a woman. The woman looked over Carol and Sophia, to make sure they had no other weapon on them. The man did the same to Daryl and then, picked up their weapons. When they were satisified, they joined the other three.

"What is your buisness here?" Another woman asked.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you," Daryl answered.

"Try us." That was from another man.

"We wanted to visit," Daryl replied.

"For my daughter," Carol added and stepped up to Daryl's side. Sophia was clutching her waist. "She wanted to see the castle."

All of five of them smiled, but not in a mocking way. "We haven't heard that one before," the same woman who had asked why they were there spoke. "Honestly, we don't get many survivors here."

"I suppose they are more concerned with surviving than a vacation." They still did not sound mocking.

The woman in the middle, the one that seemed to be in charge, nodded her head and all five weapons are lowered. "You don't seem to be a threat to us. Would you like to come inside? I'm told it's where all the magic happens."

* * *

They were lead through gates that were starting to rust but still looked sturdy. Two men closed and locked it. They walked into a wide, open area. In the distance, they could see Cinderella's castle. Sophia gasped at the sight.

The woman turned and smiled. "There you go, sweetie. Isn't it pretty? Come on, we can get closer."

"Wait," Carol spoke up. "What's your deal?"

Just a few minutes ago, they had held guns up to them. Now, they wanted to show them around. Daryl wasn't sure how he felt about this situation and it looked like Carol felt the same way.

The woman didn't look phased. "You don't seem like you will be a threat," she repeated. "And your reason for being here seemed genuine."

Carol didn't look convinced. "But we're complete strangers."

"Complete strangers with a little girl. Plus, we took your weapons. We're confident that you won't harm us."

"But what about you guys?" Daryl asked. "We ain't confident that you aren't going to hurt us."

"I know people's words aren't much these days, but I give you mine that we won't harm you."

Daryl and Carol just looked at the woman. Sophia looked between the two, unsure of what was going on, but knew enough not to say anything.

"Let me start by introducing ourselves. "My name is Meg. That's Paul," she pointed to the man who had briefly brisked Daryl. "That's Theo." She pointed to the other man. "That's Juliette and that's Jasmine."

Meg pointed to the last woman, who had carmel colored skin and thick, dark hair. Sophia's eyes widened. "She's Princess Jasmine!"

"Actually, I am," Jasmine answered with a wide, smile. "Well, I dressed up like her for work." Her smile flickered a little. "Which I no longer have."

"You look exactly like her!" Sophia bounced on her toes in excitement and looked up at her mother. "This is the best birthday ever!"

Jasmine looked at Carol and Daryl. "It's your daughter's birthday?"

"And you brought her here as a gift," Meg spoke with dawning understanding. "It wasn't just for a vacation." She traded meaningful looks with the rest of her group. "How long would you like to stay here?"

"Um..." Carol started, unsure and looked at Daryl.

"You'll let us stay here," Daryl spoke, eyes narrowed. "What do you want in return?"

"Nothing," Meg answered. "Really. Survivors don't make their way here that often. We have more than enough supplies here to keep us for a long time. We want people to be safe."

Daryl and Carol still were not entirely convinced, but allowed the group of five to lead them down the main street of Disney World.

* * *

Cinderella's castle grew bigger as they walked closer. Sophia, no longer needing the security of her mother's hand, bounced around the group looking at everything that surrounded her.

"There's only about thirty of us here," Meg spoke as she walked alongside Carol and Daryl. At their shocked looks, she added, "I told you. There isn't many of us."

"We were all workers," Paul said from the other side of Daryl. "Most of us worked the food stands and shops. Jobs we worked in between semesters of college. Our families were in other states. With things how they were, we weren't able to return home. So, we stayed here and made this place how it is now."

"Of course, Mr. Disney helped us," Meg added. "He had the walls built around the park and made sure there were plenty of places to eat."

"It's a perfect sanctuary," Carol said, in almost a whisper, before looking at Daryl, who nodded in agreement.

"Are you hungry?" Meg asked and had the group stop in front of a building.

"Most of the buildings, we convered to living spaces. But the little restauraunts, we kept. They were extremely well stocked and most of the appliances ran on emergency generators. Power runs out, people still want to be fed."

"We can eat," Carol answered for the three of them. Vending machine food could only fill them up so much.

"Great. Follow me."

Meg gestured for them to follow. Paul joined them, too. The other three ontinued walking down the main street. Daryl wasn't sure what to make of that, but didn't say anything.

Meg lead them to a table near the back and Paul went through two swinging doors. "We don't have gourmet food anymore," Meg explained. "We had to eat everything that expired...before it expired. Everything we have is canned, but the way Paul cooks, you'd never know."

"I'm sure whatever you have will be good," Carol said with a smile.

When Meg disappeared through the same doors as Paul, Carol looked to Daryl. "What do you think of this place?" She wasted no time in asking. "Do you think that they're telling the truth or it's all an act?"

Daryl didn't want to believe them, but there had been such honesty coming from all five of them. They had seemed _happy_ to have them there and were practically waiting on them hand and foot. "I don't know," he answered. "If they wanted to kill us, they'd probably already done it by now."

"They're really nice!" Sophia spoke up. "I don't think they want to hurt us, Daryl."

"I don't think they do, either, sweetie," Carol soothed her daughter. "They haven't hurt us, yet and it's not like we have anything they want."

Daryl nodded and fidgeted with the silverware. Little Mickey Mouse heads were engraved in the handles. "I think we can relax then and enjoy our time here." The last part was meant for Sophia, who beamed up at him.

Carol gave him a soft smile, as well. This one made his heart beat faster in his chest.

* * *

After a meal of canned spaghetti, which actually tasted like _real_ spaghetti, Meg and Paul led them back outside. Juliette and Theo joined them, both wearing bright smiles. Daryl glanced at Carol briefly, wondering what was about to happen.

"We have a suprise for you, Sophia," Juliette said.

"What is it?" Sophia bounced on her toes excitedly.

"With one of our many backup generators, we're able to power one ride in the park."

Sophia's eyes went as wide as saucers and she looked up at Carol, who looked just as shocked. The whole goal of the trip was to see Cinderella's castle. Being able to ride a ride was almost too good to be true.

"What should we ride, mama?"

"Whatever you want, sweetie."

"Um..." Sophia closed her eyes in deep concentration. Six adults looked at her with varying expressions of amusement and fondness.

"The teacups!" She exclaimed a few minutes later.

"Good choice, young lady," Theo said with a smile. "Now, follow me."

The teacups were exactly that. Giant teacups.

"I hope you don't get sick easily, Daryl," Carol whispered and nudged him in the side. "She's going to make us spin as fast as she can."

Daryl didn't know he'd be joining them on the ride, but he was glad. Secretly, he was giddy. When he was younger, there hadn't been much time or money to go to the local fairs to ride the rides. But whenever Daryl had saved up a little money, he'd head to the ride part of the fairs.

Rides that spin were some of his favorite.

It took a few minutes for a group of four people to set up the generator to the ride. In that time, Sophia carefully choose which teacup she wanted to take a spin on. Once she found the perfect one, Daryl and Carol joined her.

Outside of the ride, Meg called to them, "Sophia, do you mind if some of us join you? It's been awhile since we fired up one these."

"Of course!" Sophia called back, bouncing in the seat.

The group that had met them at the gate and the ones working on the generator all climbed onto the ride. They all picked different teacups and all had bright smiles on their faces that rivaled Sophias'.

* * *

 **So, yeah. This story is just going to be pure fluff. I don't think I'll hear any complaints, though. ;)**

 **And if anyone can guess where I got the names of the Disney World crew, you win at life. ;) *hint* There from 2 YA books. Meg, Paul and Theo are from one. Juliette is from another. Jasmine is my favorite princess of all time, so that's why I had to include her haha.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry for the wait! I can't believe it's been almost a year since I last updated.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen**

Daryl was only a little dizzy when they finally got off the ride. Carol had to hold his arm in order to stay steady. Sophia had no balance issues whatsoever. The moment her feet hit the pavement, she was rushing at Meg and wrapping her in a large hug.

"Thank you so much!" She cried. "This was the second best birthday gift ever!"

Carol looked up at Daryl and smiled. "And we know what she considers the best birthday gift ever."

Daryl felt his ears heat up and he had to look down at his boots. "It ain't like you didn't help."

"Yeah. But it was your idea." She kissed his cheek. "So, thank you. Again."

Before Daryl could reply, Meg spoke, "Well, that was only part one of our gift to you, Sophia."

"There's more?" Sophia's eyes were wide.

"How would you like to stay _in_ Cinderella's castle?" Juliette asked.

Daryl thought for a moment that Sophia was actually going to faint. Carol must have had the same idea because she stepped closer to her daughter with arms out.

"I'd...love to!"

Good thing they were safe behind fences, because Sophia would have definitely attracted walkers from miles away.

* * *

As they neared the large castle, Daryl leaned close to Carol and whispered, "I think they're trying to one up us."

Carol laughed and swatted at him. "Relax, Daryl. You're still going to be Sophia's favorite person after this. After her mother, of course."

When they reached the front of the castle, Meg broke away from Juliette and Sophia to speak with them. "It used to cost a fortune to stay in the castle," she said. "You'll see why."

And they did.

They were led up several flights of stairs that ended in a hallway. There were four doors in total. Two on either side. Juliette and Sophia stopped by one door and waited for Meg to open it with a key.

Sophia rushed inside...and screamed.

Daryl was already on the defense. However, he lowered his fists when he saw that it had been an excited scream, not a scared one. He couldn't be made at her, though. This was all new to her, and this hotel room was _huge_.

They stood in the middle of a living room. The carpet was plush under their feet and looked softer than any bed Daryl had slept on. There was a large, flat screen TV against one wall. A white couch and two arm chairs surrounded it. To their right was a full kitchen, complete with a dining table.

Straight in front of them was a large window that looked out at the theme park. In its heyday, it would have been a marvelous view.

"The bedrooms are down here," Meg guided.

She opened one door that led into the master bedroom. A King-sized bed stood in the middle with white and gold covers. A door led to a master bathroom with a large shower and seemingly larger tub.

Daryl was about to turn and tell Carol that she and Sophia could have this bedroom when he heard another scream.

Now, that he knew the differences between the screams, he knew this was another excited one and followed it to the other bedroom in the hallway.

The walls of the room were a light blue, the blankets were the same color. On the pillows, was a picture of a blonde woman, hair pulled up into a bun. From pictures, Daryl could guess that this was the Cinderella that Sophia loved.

In one corner of the room, a gold vanity stood. There was a closet filled with sparkly, blue dresses in various sizes. Sophia already had one out that was her size. Her smile threatened to tear her face in two.

"Mama, can I put this on now?"

Carol went to her daughter and looked at the dress. Daryl didn't have much of an eye for clothing but he could tell that the dress wasn't made from the same, cheap fabric he'd seen on the other dresses in the gift shops. It looked to be the real deal, a dress fit for a princess.

"How about this, honey? We'll dress you up when it's time for supper. I'll do your hair and everything."

"Okay!" Sophia threw her arms around Carol, crushing the blue dress in between them. But there was still a closet full of the dress behind them, so she had no reason to worry.

"Why don't you settle in a bit?" Carol suggested. "Daryl and I are going to do the same."

Sophia nodded and went to her bag, which she had thrown on the bed in her haste to get to the closet. Carol looked at her fondly before moving to the door and Daryl.

"Uh, I'll take the couch, then. You can have the room."

"Nonsense," Carol scoffed. "There's a king-sized bed in the next room. I'd get swallowed up in it if I slept alone. Plus, we'll be heading back in a few days, you can't let a chance like this pass you by. We may not have another like it."

Daryl's mouth moved but no words came out. Carol wanted to share a bed with him? Or was she just being nice? In a king-sized bed, they wouldn't even be near touching each other, so he wouldn't have to worry about waking up to find that he'd curled against her in the night.

"All right," he finally agreed. "I ain't never slept in a bed that size, so I should take the chance to, huh?"

"Exactly." Carol gripped his arm and smiled.

* * *

Sophia looked like a real princess as she sat down to eat dinner.

They were no longer in their castle room. Instead, they were eating in another room at the castle, one that had been turned into a meeting place for everyone still in the parks. There were a few tables in the room, though not as full as Daryl would have thought. Not with the size of the park.

The meal they received was much like the one they may have eaten on the road before Hershel's farm. Before they had fresh eggs, milk and meat. It was mostly canned food, but everyone ate it like it was a five course meal.

"Do y'all ever hunt for fresh meat?" Daryl asked Paul, who sat across from him by Meg. The rest of the gang from earlier sat around them, as well. Sophia was happily chatting to Jasmine, who had dressed up as Princess Jasmine just for her.

"We've laid a few traps but haven't gotten anything besides alligators. No one really knew what to do with them, though."

Daryl never dealt with alligator before, but he had caught and cooked just about everything else. Maybe he could lend a hand next time they caught another one.

How long did he plan on staying here, anyway?

They would be leaving in a few days to get back to Hershel and the rest of the group. Glancing down at Sophia, at her bright smile and animated movement of her hands, Daryl knew it was going to be harder to leave here than he thought.

Looking at Carol, to his right, he saw her smile as she talked with Meg and Juliette. She was happy, too.

What if... What if they stayed here? For good?

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**


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